Musician

Class Specifications – D.15
Principal Musician – 6191
Senior Musician – 6192
Musician – 6193

October, 1990

Series Concept

Musicians provide accompaniment in instructional settings for music, dance, and choreography classes, musical productions, dance functions, and/or non-professional choral groups. Incumbents typically sight read and play standard written musical scores; accompanying a public performances; may play one or more musical instruments; may compose, transpose, arrange, and may select and prepare recorded accompaniment; may maintain musical scores, instruments, musical equipment, musical libraries, tape and recording files.

Class Concepts

Principal Musician

Under general direction, incumbents perform the most difficult and creative accompanist duties. Incumbents typically collaborate and/or consult with faculty and artistic directors on their projects and productions, determine the musical needs for productions and act as a departmental musical expert. Incumbents may play several musical instruments; accompanying may be done in the instructional setting where incumbents assist faculty by providing the musical fabric that demonstrates the concept being taught. Incumbents may routinely improvise music for classes and choreographic studies and perform with frequency as accompanist in public performances. Principal Musicians are distinguished from Senior Musicians in that they may routinely sightread the most difficult and complex scores; transpose and arrange musical scores; direct one or more musicians; compile or compose original material as required and improvise accompaniment on a variety of instruments; may organize the musical library, tapes and recordings; direct the purchase of musical instruments and are responsible for the care of musical instruments and audio equipment. Incumbents may modify, design, or arrange the custom preparation of new or existing musical instruments such as percussion, piano, electronic, and computer instruments where elements are added to produce a different sound.

Senior Musician

Under direction, incumbents typically accompany groups by improvising music for dance, choreography, and choral functions. Incumbents compose, arrange and transpose musical scores as required; may direct one or more Musicians and may maintain musical scores, instruments, equipment and recordings. The Senior Musician class is distinguished from the Musician class in that incumbents have responsibility for improvising, composing, transposing and arranging musical scores in addition to playing one or more musical instruments. Incumbents also may assist in directing musical productions.

Musician

Under direction, incumbents play one or more instruments and perform assigned accompanist duties as outlined in the Series Concept.

Minimum Qualifications

All classification incumbents must possess a credential from a school of music. Principal Musicians must have experience at the Senior Musician level or its equivalent and Senior Musicians must have experience at the Musician level. Incumbents at each level must possess the skills and abilities necessary for the successful completion of duties assigned to the position.